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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

To service a new client, you have to wait for them to get onboarded. To file a client’s electronic tax return, you need them to sign Form 8879. How much more productive would your accounting firm be if you didn’t have to worry about this paperwork ever again?

For small accounting firms, resources are tight, profit margins are hard fought and larger competitors are always looming. If your firm is having any of these problems, here are five signs your accounting practice can benefit from e-signatures and help supercharge your growth.

1. You’ve got more important things to do than chase paper.

How many billable hours have you wasted wondering if the engagement letter got lost on your client’s desk? Sometimes those hours stretch to days or even weeks while your firm has to spend even more time nagging your client by phone and email.

The savings in time and money for electronic signatures over paper is immense. In the hours it takes to prepare, print and fax a contract — then wait for your client to return it — you could be well on your way to filing. In contrast, RightSignature customers report getting their documents signed in as few as six minutes.

RightSignature even sends automatic reminder emails to your clients, so once you’ve sent a document, you don’t have to worry about it again. These reminder emails all contain a secure link that lets your client fill out and sign your document from anywhere on any device, so you never have to worry about important forms getting lost on your client’s desk or in their inbox.

2. The number 8879 means something to you.

If you’re a tax accountant and you’ve heard of the Internet, you’re probably familiar with forms 8878 and 8879, which authorize you to prepare and file taxes electronically on behalf of clients. You may not have heard that, thanks to a recent IRS ruling, these forms can now be signed electronically as well.

8879 is a crucial link in creating an ultra-efficient, all-digital workflow, and electronic signature software is a necessary tool to get there. However, the IRS ruling on 8878 and 8879 also requires an additional form of identity verification known as knowledge-based authentication (KBA) for e-signatures. RightSignature offers a feature called Passcodes that fulfills this requirement and ensures your e-signatures are 100 percent compliant.

3. Your clients don’t live with you in your office.

Your clients are busy people with busy lives. Even though the latest audit is at the top of your to-do list, your client might not have the time to drive to your office sign the necessary authorization. If your client lives in a different city or even a different state, the problem is even worse. RightSignature e-signatures let you set up and send a document in minutes online to your clients no matter where they are. Steve Moss, CPA at Holden Moss, explains:

We do a lot of business all over the US, and we even have a growing number of international clients. We got started with RightSignature because we needed a way to be able to send documents, get them digitally signed, and returned to us in a way that would be really easy and quick."

RightSignature offers easy-to-use signing software that guides your clients so every document is filled out complete and without errors. If you’d like to get out of the office yourself, RightSignature mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices let you view, send and sign your documents anywhere, any time.

4. You’re wearing too many hats.

As a partner or sole proprietor of an accounting practice, you might be responsible for onboarding new clients, advertising, hiring staff and maintaining your office — and that’s before you service a single client. E-signatures help you reduce the number of hats you have to wear to keep your practice afloat. Too small for a dedicated HR employee on staff? Let RightSignature handle your employment paperwork. Ditto for signing leases or contracts for your office. Focus on your skills that make you the most money, and leave the paperwork to RightSignature.

5. You need to look like the big firms to play with the big firms.

When it comes to spending their money, your potential clients don’t want to take any chances. Maintaining a strong, professional image is the first, most important step in building trust with them, and nowhere is that image more important than in your signed, legally binding contracts. As an award-winning e-signature tool, RightSignature helps you look credible and established with clients. As ConnectCPA Partner Lior Zehtser says, “RightSignature really created a wow factor for our firm.”

RightSignature makes it easy for your clients to do business with you by handling all the messy transactions of a signed contract in one easy workflow. It’s the same professional-grade software used by top 100 firms, with plans affordable for even the smallest accounting practices. Try RightSignature for free today.